Improvement in oil-stills



O.v TILTON. Oil-Still.

No. 209.943. Patented Nov. 12, 1878.

NJEYERS, PHOYD-LITMOGRAPHEH, WASHINGTON. DIC.

'UNrrED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

OLE rILroN, or rrrssunc, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 209,943, dated November 12, 1878 application filed May 1S, 1878.

The invention relates to an improved still. for stilling petroleum oil.

The object oftheinventionis to produceeither an illuminating or lubricating oil, as may be desired, by reducing the gravity. This I ac complish by forcing steam into a still set in an arch, and provided with a sub-chamber, having openings at one end, closing by avalve, and an ascending tube at the other, the top of which is closed, the face of which, however, is perforated and provided with short tubes; a steam-pipe, which enters the still atthe front, where it divides into two or morebranches, which extend longitudinally of the still and enter the top of the sub-chamber, where they' terminate just in front of the ascending tube of said chamber; an escape-pipe at the top and front of the still; an outlet-cock for drawing off the oil; and the setting the still in a suitable arch or furnace, for the purpose of applying heat externally when desired.

rlhe invention is shown in detail in the drawing, to which reference being had, it will be seen that A represents the main chamber of the still 5 B,the sub-chamber, all of its walls, as well as those of the' ascending tube B', being continuous with those of the still. D D D D are a series of short tubes, which project from and are the outlets of tube B. C is the front of the sub-chamber B, and is perforated by a number of openings, o c o, which are larger in size than the discharge-tubes D. C' is a clapper-valve, suspended byits top inside of the front. When down, it closes against the inside of said front C, and prevents any return of fluid or steam through the inlet-openings c o c c.

E is the main steam-pipe, which enters the still throughthe front, at which point it is secured by a gasket. It then branches into two pipes, which pass llongitudinally back and down through the top ofthe sub-chamber, and terminate in front of the .mouth of the ascending tube B', toward which said pipes (indicated by F F) open. Gr is a pipe by which the still is filled, and by which the exhauststeam is allowed to escape when lubricating-oil is manufactured, and t which the condens ing-pipe or worm is. attached when the still is used in making illuminating-oil. H is an ordinary draw-off cock; K,the man-hole, through which the still is entered for repairs, &c.

'lhe operation of the invention is as follows: The man-hole being secured, and it is desired to make lubricating-oil, a small amount of water is run into the still with the oil to be reduced. Steam at a pressure of from twenty to thirty pounds is then admitted through the pipe E and its branches F F, which is thereby discharged at the mouth of tube B', forces the water and oil up the said tube, and discharges it into the main chamberA. At the same time the fluid in said main chamber is drawn into the sub-chamber B through the inlet-openings c c o o, and in turn forced up through tube B', and out into the chamber A, and thus the entire body of oil is heated by coming in contact with the steam as it circulates through the still.

When it is desired to manufacture illuminating-oil no water is run into the still with the oil; but the steam is turned on,'and the same action is produced as above described. At the same time heat is applied externally to the still by means of fire in the furnace, and the oil is caused, by the circulation produced by the action of the steam, to rapidly pass over and come in contact with the heated parts of the still.

I do not wish to be understood as conn ing myself exclusively to the usc of steam, as in some cases heated air may be found best, which maybe forced into said still and act the same as steam. This I claim as an equivalent means.

Haying thus described my invention and its operation,what I e1aim,and desire Letters two or more discharge branches or tubes,

Patent for, iswhereby the oil is caused to circulate through l. In an oil-still, the sub-chamber B, prothe still, al1 constructed and operating subvided with inlet-openings and discharge-tubes, stantiaily as and for the purpose set forth.

substantially as and -for the object set forth. OLE TILTON.

2. The combination, in an oil-stili, of the Witnesses: chamber B, having the inlet-openings c c c c, WM. M. CUTHBERT,

and the steam or hot-air pipe E, provided with EDMUND PALMER. 

